Report on the 1st
Asian Vegetarian Congress held in Goa between 14th to 20th October 2001
at Hotel Dona Sylvia, Goa.

Asian Vegetarian
Union came into existence while the 33rd World Vegetarian Congress was
held in Chiang Mai in January 1999. The European Vegetarian Union being
the apex body of the Vegetarian Societies of Europe and Vegetarian Union
of North America known as VUNA being the apex body of the Vegetarian Societies
of North America are in existence. There is no apex body for the Societies
of Latin America and similarly there is no apex body for the Societies
of Asia to guide the societies to vegetarian cause and to form society
to promote vegetarianism in the region. For promoting vegetarianism through
Societies Asian Vegetarian Union came into existence.

The First President
has been named one Mr. Jashu Shah and the Joint Secretary is one Dr. Phichai
Tovivich of Thailand.

The Vegetarian Society
- Reverence for Life having its office at Mumbai decided to host the First
Asian Vegetarian Congress. After scouting several places like Mumbai,
Jaipur, Delhi, Goa, and Ahmedabad etc. it was decided to have the First
Asian Vegetarian Congress at Goa.

Then the scouting
for hotels started and ultimately it was decided to have the first Asian
Vegetarian Congress at Resort Dona Sylvia, Cavelossim Beach, South Goa,
which is near the beach. The dates were fixed between 14th and 20th October
2001.

There were total
180 delegates out of which majority of them came from Mumbai but there
were some from USA, UK, Bangladesh, Kenya, Switzerland, Sri Lanka and
some came from outside Mumbai.

The opening ceremony
of the Congress was done by His Excellency Shri R. Venkatraman, former
President of India and the congress started with his blessings. We also
opened the Goa Chapter of the Vegetarian Society. Reverend Dada Vaswani
who in his keynote address stated that instead of talking about saving
animals we must talk about the right of the animals as they also have
the right to live. There were about 450 persons present at the opening
ceremony of the Congress.

Throughout 15th to
20th October in the morning there were Yoga and Meditation classes starting
at 6.30am.

On 15th October 2001
after breakfast at 9.00 a.m. the session started. After lunch everyday
in the afternoon between 3.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. after lunch there were
workshops where several people gave their ideas on different alternate
medicines. There were well known doctors, Advocates, Literary persons,
who came and delivered the lectures in Goa.

On 15th the session
started with the lecture of Sports enthusiastic Dr. Kinjal Suratwala and
he said that the human body is fit to be vegetarian. He also emphasized
on exercise to be carried out by human being. Rohit Ganatra outstanding
Architect also a well-known Vastu Shastri gave lecture on "energy
of life" through slides, which showed what is the effect of food
on human being and human mind. Dr. Kothari who came from Brussels also
talked about food and philosophy.

The second day i.e.
15th October Bittu Sehgal talked about the Tiger Project and which led
to the environment. Mrs. Kunda Ganatra talked about how to take care of
eyes. Shantanu Chakravatory talked about magnetic therapy and how it can
be used for the benefit of human being, Mr. Bittu Sehgal said that water
is important portion in the life of the human being; if water vanishes
the jungle vanishes and if jungle vanishes tiger vanishes and ultimately
human being will vanish. In the afternoon Dr. Shailesh Divecha talked
about how to look after your teeth, Dr. Arun Chande talked on Sujok therapy
showing actual practical with human body. Pujya Chitrabhanuji talked about
religious principles and vegetarianism.

On 16th October Shri
O. P. Tiwari in charge of Kaivalyadhama, Lonavla talked about Yoga and
vegetarianism, which was received well by everybody. Shri Narain Bhatia
of Chinmaya Mission talked about Rudraksha and its effect on human body.
Sigrid De Leo, Secretary of the European Vegetarian Union who had come
especially from Switzerland talked about effect of food on children. She
emphasized that the children who take vegetarian food are always with
better temperament than those children taking non-vegetarian food. She
also talked about her own experience as a teacher. Dr. Rosemary Turner
talked about the history of American vegetarianism. David Pye Treasurer
of International Vegetarian Union talked about International Vegetarian
Union and gave a review of the 35th World Vegetarian Congress to be held
in Edinburgh, Scotland and invited everyone. He gave a very good presentation
about Scotland and Edinburgh Vegetarian Congress.

His Excellency the
former President of India Shri R. Venkatraman also opened the Goa Chapter
of the Vegetarian Society and they arranged one evening where Shri Jashu
Shah Secretary of the Vegetarian Society gave information about how vegetarian
movement is going round the world. Other speakers were Shri Chitrabhanuji,
D.I.G. Karnal Singh of Goa, and Smt. Tarla Dalal gave a Cookery demonstration
with the help of Smt. Sylvia Albuquerque.

On the 17th October
Dr. Anil Kadakia spoke on achievement and achievers. Dr. Fernandes talked
about Accu-pressure and Aromatherapy. Kitchen queen Tarla Dalal talked
about her own experience and how she changed her husband from non-vegetarian
to being a vegetarian. In the afternoon David Boje talked about vegetarian
capitalism and Mahinda Paliwanda talked about Buddhism and vegetarianism
in Sri Lanka. Shri Navinbhai Shah a Naturopath practicing since 40 years
gave 5 principles of naturopath. He insisted that everybody must laugh
for 3 to 5 minutes without any restriction. This laughter will remove
the stress from the body.

In the evening Suresh
Dalal outstanding poet of Gujarat and Saurabh Shah Editor of Midday Gujarati
talked about Reverence for Life.

In the evening there
was another function whereby vegetarian of the year National Award was
given to Dr. Bhamgara, Vegetarian of the year International was given
to Dr. Rosemary Turner and the best vegetarian Restaurant of Mumbai was
given to Samrat Restaurant by the President of the Vegetarian Society.

On 18th Swami Tejomayanda
head of Chinmaya Mission talked about vegetarianism in most common language
and stated that if the people talked about eating animals than why not
eat human beings. His lecture had a profound effect on the audience. Ajit
Grewal talked about organic farming and Biodynamic and invited everybody
to his farm near Alwar. Dr. M. M. Bhamgara, Outstanding Naturopath and
crusader of vegetarianism talked about vegetarianism in detail and gave
good information. President of the Goa Vegetarian Society Dr. Pande talked
about the vegetarian in Medical Science.

The end of the Congress
was coming nearer. On Friday the 19th Dr. Ghanekar of Goa who is a cancer
specialist and now yoga teacher talked about yoga and vegetarianism. Dr.
Kulin Kothari renowned eye surgeon from Mumbai talked about eye donation
after death and enlightened the people about the growing awareness of
Eye Bank and donation. Smt. Pramodaben talked about vegetarianism and
its approach for life. Smt. Pramodaben is a member of the vegetarian society
since its inception. In the afternoon a Parsi Priest Dr. Rooyintan Peer
talked about vegetarianism in Zoroastrian religion. The congress concluded
with the lecture of Child specialist Dr. Pankaj Parikh who gave dos and
don't about children and tips to parents.

Everyday there was
a musical entertainment programme. Mandira Tracy gave a Bharat Natyam
recital at the opening ceremony. There were one programme or the other
like Goa Folk dance, Goan dance and twice Gurudutt Shirde made the people
feel at home by singing Gazals and old songs and entertained everybody
with his music. Pushpaben Jain also gave some Bhakti Geet and Linimaben,
Pramodaben and Pushpaben recited prayers.

What started has
to come to an end. The closing ceremony was headed by His Excellency Mohd
Fazal Governor of Goa who is also a vegetarian he delivered a valedictory
speech quoting Manu and other old scriptures. President Pujya Chitrabhanuji
gave his blessings and the entire congress came to an end.

The Speeches were
so effective that one Mr. Felix a resident of Goa heard the speakers and
decided not to kill any animal for food. He became a vegetarian. Mr. Michael
who had come to do video coverage of the entire congress on behalf of
Astha Channel also became a vegetarian and they were honoured. This was
the effect of 7 days profound hearing of the speakers talking about the
Reverence for Life and vegetarianism. Every life is precious and every
life is required to be preserved was the ultimate message given at the
Congress.

Mr. Jashu Shah, President
of the Asian Vegetarian Union said that the people came, people read the
souvenir, people heard all the speakers. People who came will spread the
message of Reverence for Life.
Vote of thanks was proposed by Deepak Shah.

First
Asian Vegetarian Congress in Goa- India

- personal report
from Sigrid De Leo

The first Asian vegetarian
congress was a great success. There are three main purposes for vegetarian
congresses:
A To meet like minded people
B To learn new things
C To spread the vegetarian idea in the country/continent, where the event
takes place
All three purposes where met as you may read in the following.

Nearly 200 like minded
people from 4 continents ( only Australia was missing) and 8 or 10 countries
had followed the invitation of "The Vegetarian Society of Mumbai"
to pass a week together in Goa, south west India. Unfortunately a delegation
of 40 members from Thailand had cancelled their participation due to fear
of war. The war in Afghanistan was also the reason why some speakers had
preferred to stay at home. Jashu Shah, long term vegetarian promoter,
General Secretary of the
Vegetarian Society in Mumbai had together with his organizing staff carried
out an event which will be in the memory of all participants as a well
organized and interesting meeting. Most of all though the friendly and
relaxed atmosphere of the weeklong congress was much appreciated by all
participants.

Jashu and his friends
had visited a couple of nice places and finally decided for the Goan Dona
Sylvia resort, a little village in a beautiful surroundings of palm trees,
white beeches and lovely warm weather. I already miss the long walks on
the beach accompanied by my friends the friendly stray dogs. Soon we discovered
that the owner of the resort, Mr. Victor, was a vegetarian for 16 years,
which was a very pleasant thing to know. The programme was well balanced
and all aspects of a vegetarian/vegan/ raw food lifestyle were discussed.
I was specially impressed by the talks of
Bittu Sahgal, who dedicates his life to saving the Indian tiger. In a
professional way he approaches school children in order to make a change
of mentality.

Another very interesting lecture was about the project of bio-dynamic
farming which is much felt in India too. Several lectures about reverence
for life , yoga, health and nutrition for children completed the great
number of informative lectures by competent speakers. The very last lecture
was held by a paediatrician, which was a good omen for the time to come
as children are our future.

The organizers had taken a lot of trouble to install a rich exhibition
on all subjects of vegetarianism. I wasn't too sorry that the exhibition
was on the upper part of the congress hall, where only few people found
their way to: There was too much emphasis on dairy products for my opinion.

The food was very
good and tasty, with a lot of spices as everybody would expect from an
Indian kitchen. My regret was that there was only a small choice of raw
food in a country where you should think that there must be an ample choice
of fruit and vegetables. The staff of the restaurant and kitchen was extremely
nice and helpful. You couldn't think of something you wished and the nice
young men already served you with it.

The conference alone
would not have been enough to make the event known in a huge country like
India. Thanks to very prominent guests the First Asian Vegetarian Congress
got all the same a very good media coverage. The congress was indeed inaugurated
by India's former president, R. Venkataraman who at the high age of 91
had flown 4 hours from Delhi to honour the vegetarian event in Goa. Goa's
governor was as well present as several other highly decorated guests
from the public, religious or science world. The local newspapers and
a TV channel interviewed speakers and participants and reported about
the event in a country where 60 % of the population is still vegetarian
and where even an Italian restaurant like "Little Italy" inMumbai
is completely vegetarian.

On occasion of the
Asian Vegetarian Congress a new chapter of the Vegetarian Society was
opened in Goa to make sure that the vegetarian Idea will revive in a country
where more and more people are taking to meat eating. Following the inauguration
of the new Goa chapter an invited guest was impressed by the speeches
and decided spontaneously to become a vegetarian. The same can be said
of the TV camera man Micheal, who followed the whole sessions and thus
was initiated to vegetarianism.

Jashu Shah and his collaborators organized and carried out a wonderful
event, and if there is one thing I wished, it is that more young people
could have taken part. Of course a weeklong congress is rather costly
which not many young people can afford. Maybe the second Asian Vegetarian
Congress in one of the other Asian states can make a change. I look forward
to meeting all my old and new friends again. Compliments and a big "Thank
you" to Jashu and his team.

You will sense it
the minute you arrive in Costa Rica: a feeling of physical and mental
well-being. Costa Rica is synonymous with contentment and relaxation.
Few nations in the world combine such a friendly population with such
beautiful natural surroundings. The purpose of this 10-day tour is to
immerse you in Costa Rica's natural beauty while offering ample opportunities
for healthy activities and excellent vegan cuisine.

Great efforts have
been by tour organizers to assure participants not only quality vegan
meals on this tour, but delicious meals, prepared under hygienic conditions.
Our Costa Rican hosts have worked closely with Club Veg representatives
in meeting all the club's dietary requirements. Everyone involved with
the tour is excited about preparing meals you will truly enjoy.

Sawtelle Travel Service
has organized the trip. In creating the itinerary, Sawtelle has drawn
on experience gained during more than a dozen nature trips to Costa Rica
by its agents. Sawtelle's objective in choosing destinations for this
trip has been to find comfortable lodges in beautiful, biologically
diverse locations. Diverse locales will insure you the opportunity of
viewing hundreds of different birds and animals. Sawtelle also will handle
air travel arrangements for the tour. Rick Marsi and Ann Silvernail of
Sawtelle will be the agents in charge. Rick is a veteran naturalist and
Costa Rica traveler. Ann's 25 years of experience have made her an expert
in obtaining convenient, economical flights for her clients.

From the coolness
of the cloud forest to warm sand on an uncrowded beach, the locations
on this tour promise incomparable scenery and immediate stress reduction.
Take this tour and you will agree that Costa Rica offers the treasures
of life.

The Tour

Day 1 - Feb. 15
Trip participants will be met at the San Jose, Costa Rica airport and
transferred to Hotel Punta Leona on the Pacific Ocean. Surrounding this
beachfront hotel is one of the most important private nature preserves
in Costa Rica's Pacific Zone. Consisting of 750 acres of primary and secondary
forest, the preserve hosts more than 200 bird species, including the rare
scarlet macaw.

The preserve also
is home to white-faced capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, sloths, coatimundis
and many butterflies. You'll have the rest of the day to enjoy the reserve
at Punta Leona. Dinner and night at Punta Leona.

Day 2 - Feb. 16
You will spend a free day in and around Punta Leona Hotel and Preserve.
The hotel features three private white-sand beaches that offer excellent
swimming and snorkeling in the warm Pacific Ocean. Well-marked trails
on the hotel grounds present excellent opportunities for hiking and birdwatching.
Every morning at Punta Leona, the resident naturalist leads a walk over
portions of these trails. You may decide to join him. In addition to the
scarlet macaw, other birds frequently encountered at Punta Leona include
colorful parrots, parakeet and motmots.

Dinner and night
at Punta Leona.

Day 3 - Feb. 17
After a free morning at the beach or walking forest trails, we will enjoy
lunch at Hotel Punta Leona. Then, we depart for our next destination:
Bosque de Paz Cloud Forest Lodge. Located just 90 minutes from San Jose,
Bosque de Paz (Peaceful Forest) is situated in one of Costa Rica's most
ecologically significant areas. This 1,200-acre reserve forms a natural
corridor between two national parks: Poas Volcano and Juan Castro Blanco.

Accommodations in
Bosque de Paz are clean, comfortable and quiet. The dining room is beautiful,
featuring skillfully carved wooden furniture and a lovely view of cloud
forest slopes out the window. Dinner and lodging at Bosque de Paz.

Day 4 - Feb. 18
A full day to enjoy nature at Bosque de Paz. More than 286 different kinds
of birds have been observed on trails at the reserve. With a skilled naturalist
as our guide, we will see brilliantly colored toucans, trogons and tanagers.
We'll also have an excellent opportunity to see troops of howler monkeys
and lounging three-toed sloths.

At 5,000 feet above
sea level, Bosque de Paz is always cool and refreshing. Eleven well-maintained
trails meander for miles through forests rich with orchids, ferns and
bromeliads. In a large clearing outside the tastefully appointed lodge,
hummingbird feeders often attract as many as 6 different kinds of hummingbirds
at once.

An orchid collection
and butterfly garden enhance the reserve's bio-diverse appeal. Two optional
guided walks are scheduled during the day, as well as a fascinating night
tour.

Meals and lodging
at Bosque de Paz.

Day 5 - Feb. 19
This morning we depart on a two-hour drive north to the Cano Negro Wildlife
Refuge. Before reaching the refuge, we will stop in a small village where
a bridge crosses the Iguana River. From the bridge, we will look down
at basking iguanas, which have climbed to the tops of trees overhanging
the river. These are huge creatures, some measuring four feet long. They
are just a few feet away and completely unconcerned with our presence.
Leaving our iguana friends, we'll arrive shortly in the town of Los Chiles,
where we will board safe, canopied boats for a water tour of the Cano
Negro Refuge. As we motor slowly down the Rio Frio inside the refuge,
we will see an impressive variety of storks, spoonbills, herons, egrets,
kingfishers and other waterbirds. We also will have an excellent opportunity
to spot monkeys, sloths, river otters and caymans.

Cano Negro offers
a truly exceptional concentration of wildlife, viewed in a pristine setting.After
lunch, we will return to Bosque de Paz, where we'll have plenty of time
to rest and clean up before dinner. Dinner and night at Bosque de Paz.

Day 6 - Feb. 20
After breakfast at Bosque de Paz, we transfer to the airport for our 45-minute
flight south to Drake Bay Wilderness Resort on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula.
Facing the Pacific Ocean, backed by untouched tropical forest, Drake Bay
offers a number of wonderful outdoor activities. After lunch at the hotel,
we will experience one of them: a walk through the Rio Claro Preserve.
The Rio Claro is a cool, clear river (a large stream, really) which flows
through dense forest before opening into a lovely lagoon within sight
of the ocean. Flowing gently through the lagoon, the river then spills
across the sand and empties into the Pacific.

On this walk, we'll
have a chance to swim in the lagoon, or in the Pacific - fresh or salt
water within 100 yards of each other. The beaches around Drake Bay are
as scenic and unspoiled as any you will find anywhere.

Dinner and night
at Drake Bay Wilderness Resort.

Day 7 - Feb. 21
Today will find us exploring another attraction near Wilderness Bay: Cano
Island Biological Reserve. Lying 10 miles offshore from Drake Bay, this
pristine, uninhabited 6,000-acre island features five coral reefs that
are a snorkeler's or scuba diver's delight. A trail on the island climbs
to high cliffs above the Pacific. The island also features a prehistoric
cemetery and mysterious round stones sculpted by ancient people who once
walked here. We'll spend the day, including lunch, at Cano Island before
returning to
Drake Bay Resort for dinner. Dinner and night at Drake Bay.

Day 8 - Feb 22
Following breakfast at Drake Bay, we'll set out by boat for nearby Corcovado
National Park. Encompassing more than 100,000 acres of land and 5,000
acres of marine habitat, Corcovado represents one of Costa Rica's most
remote and impressive natural treasures. Eight different ecosystems exist
in the park:
everything from mangroves to montane forests. Five hundred species of
trees have been identified within park boundaries. Jaguars, harpy eagles,
giant anteaters and other endangered species have found one of their last
safe refuges here. Arriving at the park, we will enjoy a guided walk on
its trails, followed by
a picnic lunch. We'll conclude our visit with a tour of the Sirena Biological
Station, where researchers from throughout the world conduct tropical
studies.

Dinner and night
at Drake Bay.

Day 9 - Feb. 23
After breakfast at the Drake Bay Resort, we will transfer to the airport
for our return flight to San Jose. Arriving in the capital city, we will
enjoy lunch at Tin-Ho, an Asian restaurant unanimously praised by previous
Vegan Tour participants. Following lunch, we will transfer to the Heredia
Mountain Hotel. Just 30 minutes from the San Jose airport, this lovely
property is a world away from the noise and congestion of city life. The
hotel's lovely surroundings will provide a perfect setting for our last
evening in Costa
Rica. Dinner and evening at the Heredia Mountain Hotel.

Day 10 - Feb. 24
After breakfast, our trip ends with a short drive to the International
Airport for our flight home.

Vegan Nature Tour
of Costa Rica

Trip Details

Cost
Cost for this tour is $2,620 per person, double occupancy, from San Jose,
Costa Rica. Single supplement is $600. Sawtelle Travel will be happy to
work with any single in finding a compatible roommate for the trip. Tour
cost covers all food, lodging, transportation, park admissions and guide
services in Costa Rica. Not included: airfare to and from Costa Rica,
airport departure tax, tips and commercial beverages.

Payment
A $250 deposit per person is required to book space on the tour. Following
receipt of your deposit, Sawtelle Travel Service will send you an information
packet including a tour map, a list of travel tips and information on
passports, what to wear, etc. Final payment is due no later than Dec.15,
2001. Major credit cards are accepted.

Lodging
The lodges, restaurants and excursions on this itinerary are among Costa
Rica's finest.

Tour Escort
Throughout the tour, participants will be accompanied by an expert Costa
Rican guide, fluent in English, well-versed in Costa Rican natural history
and familiar with all stops on the itinerary.

Transportation
Transportation will be on a modern, air-conditioned mini-bus with comfortable
seats and big windows.

Air Travel
Sawtelle Travel Service has been providing clients with efficient, cost-effective
air travel service for 55 years. We would be pleased to help you make
air travel arrangements to Costa Rica.

To Learn More
Contact Rick Marsi or Ann Silvernail at Sawtelle Travel Service. Both
have visited Costa Rica and can help you with questions about any aspect
of your trip. Rick has escorted more than a dozen trips to Costa Rica.
Ann is an air travel specialist with 25 years of experience. Phone: 607-729-6300
or 800-295-2222. Fax: 607-729-2904.

E-mail: nature@sawtelletravel.com

You can view photos
from last year's tour on your computer at www.photopoint.com. Under "visit
albums" type veganphoto@aol.com.

For additional information
about vegan cuisine on the trip, contact Amie Hamlin at clubveg@aol.com

A Note About Vegan
Cuisine.
Vegan cuisine features plant products only. While non-vegans are welcome
on this tour, they will be asked to maintain vegan dietary standards when
eating meals with the group.

GENETIC ENGINEERING
DEBATE CONTINUED
- from Emanuel Goldman, Ph.D. (patron / life member of IVU)

[note: views expressed
in this debate are those of the individual contributors, not IVU -ed]

First, two URLs.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, while not a vegetarian
organization, is highly sympathetic to the vegetarian viewpoint. They
have, in the current issue of their newsletter, "Nutrition Action,"
considered the issue of genetic engineering from the safety standpoint,
as well as benefits to society. The URL is: http://www.cspinet.org/nah/11_01/index.html.

The second is to
an article I published several years ago in Satya Magazine, on potential
benefits to vegetarians from genetic engineering. The URL is:
http://www.montelis.com/satya/backissues/jan98/engineered.html.
(Note that for unknown reasons, this URL crashes Netscape, but is accessible
by Internet Explorer.)

Paul Appleby asks
for examples. Here are several examples (a few of which were mentioned
in the Satya article) of genetically engineered products that are, or
could be, of great benefit to vegetarians (many more examples could be
envisaged):

1. Insulin used to
be derived from pig intestines. Ethical vegetarians would be in a quandary
if that were the only practical way to obtain this life-saving medicine.
Most (hopefully, all) of us certainly wouldn't condemn diabetics to death
by denying them the ability to obtain insulin, even if a pig had to be
slaughtered to get it. This is no longer a problem for vegetarians. Now,
the gene for insulin has been inserted into bacteria. The bacteria are
grown, and make insulin, which is purified from the bacterial culture
and used medically. No more pig intestines, because of genetic engineering.

2. Many vegetarians
who transition to vegan miss cheese. Meeting the demand, a number of vegetarian
oriented companies market substitute cheeses. Many of these contain a
protein called "casein," which is derived from milk. Those substitute
cheeses which avoid casein usually do poorly on taste tests, from my experience.
Even the casein-containing cheese substitutes do not fully replicate real
cheese, but they're better, and make for a reasonable transition food
en route to vegan. Enter genetic engineering. It is entirely possible
to manufacture casein in bacteria (just like with the insulin example
above), by putting the gene for this protein into a bacterial organism.
The casein purified this way would not involve any passage through, or
exploitation of, an animal. This genetically engineered casein could now
be used in substitute cheeses, and would meet vegan ethical standards,
while providing us with a tastier product. In this case, vegetarians would
actually look for the label saying "Made with genetically engineered
casein." (This example is still, regrettably, hypothetical; while
genetically engineered casein made in bacteria has in fact been reported
in the literature, there have been, as yet, no commercial applications
of this product.)

3. Continuing on
the subject of cheeses, as a vegetarian, I applaud the recent introduction
of genetically engineered "cheese-making enzymes" instead of
the animal-intestines derived rennet used traditionally in cheese-making.
Although I have been near-vegan for a number of years now, so this is
pretty much a moot point for me personally, I know that for the many years
that I was lacto-ovo, I was constantly looking for "rennetless"
cheese, which was hard to find and often not very good when I did find
it. Even "kosher" cheeses allow the use of rennet, to my continued
amazement, since the kosher ethic requires no consumption of meat and
milk together. (It's considered an extra insult to the animal to "cook
the kid in its
mother's milk." The explanation I was given for the cheese contradiction
was that the rennet was so extremely diluted from the original animal
source, it was no longer considered of animal origin.) Because genetically
engineered rennet, produced in bacteria, no longer comes from animal intestines,
this need no longer be an issue for lacto-vegetarians.

4. Albumen is a useful
protein derived from animal sources, and when used as a food additive,
is usually from eggs. This is another very suitable candidate for a genetically
engineered food product; a gene for albumen could be placed in bacteria,
and the bacteria would produce the albumen. There would be no need to
go to animals for this product anymore, and we would look for labels specifying
"genetically engineered albumen." (This example is also still,
regrettably, hypothetical.)

5. Some extremely
strict vegetarians won't use photographic film or go to movies because
of gelatin in the film. (I find this too extreme for the world which we
happen to inhabit at this point in time; we should work towards and support
technologies such as digital imaging that don't need the gelatin, but
not disengage from society.) Here's another case how genetic engineering
can actually be of great benefit to ethical vegetarians: gelatin is a
form of the animal protein collagen, which can be easily manufactured
in bacteria, by using the information in the gene for collagen and inserting
that information (in the form of DNA) into the bacteria. Gelatin produced
this way should be acceptable even to the strictest vegetarians, who could
start going to the movies again (and maybe even eat vegan jello).

6. In my email some
time ago, I received a posting from a vegetarian list: "I have had
a thyroid disorder for several years, but never knew that there was a
vegetarian substitute...I live in the U.K. and have never heard of it
here, is it available by mail order... I couldn't possibly consider taking
pig glands unless my life was at risk." This individual needs thyroid
hormone, until recently, derived only from animals. Once again, genetic
engineering to the rescue. The information for this hormone has been genetically
engineered so that it is made in bacteria, and is ethically correct.

7. Another email
posting described an article in the August, 1997 issue of Harper's Magazine,
"The Inhumanity of the Animal People." A quote from the article
reminded me again of how modern molecular biology, genetic engineering,
and recombinant DNA has the potential to alleviate animal suffering in
ways that the vegetarian movement is usually unaware of. Take the case
of "premarin," quoted from the article: "Premarin, an estrogen
drug for menopausal women, comes from the urine of pregnant mares. This
is a whole new industry that results in the births of approximately 75,000
unwanted foals each year. Off to the slaughterhouses the little ones go,
to be turned into...something else." I expect it would be relatively
straightforward for a biotech or pharmaceutical company to clone the relevant
gene or genes responsible for the synthesis of premarin in horses, so
that premarin could be produced in bacteria or yeast or tissue culture,
and no more unwanted foals would have to be "turned into... something
else." I have heard that there is a synthetic form of Premarin available,
but is not profitable to produce, so the drug companies continue to promote
the "natural" form, generating those unwanted foals. But if
the drug companies were to produce Premarin in bacterial cultures by genetic
engineering, the profitability issue would likely be resolved, and those
foals wouldn't have to be produced as a byproduct, destined for slaughter.

I could go on, but
the "Nutrition Action" article describes many of the other potential
benefits to society, though not necessarily because of our vegetarian
perspective. Here's just one brief additional example that is not veg-related:
Genetically engineered coffee without caffeine has been developed, so
that the chemical treatments of coffee needed to make decaffeinated would
no longer be necessary. Clearly, a benefit to coffee lovers and those
who want to limit their caffeine intake.

The question I pose
to Paul and all my other well-meaning ethical vegetarian comrades: do
we really want to expend our political and ethical capital fighting things
like GE coffee without caffeine, or do we want to fight our battles over
the abuse and slaughter of animals? Especially when one considers that
genetic engineering provides an alternative way to obtain products which
are now derived from animal slaughter, for me the answer is very clear:
we should, as a movement, back off this issue and stay rooted and focused
on our core concern, the wanton and unnecessary slaughter and abuse of
animals.